Everything you need to know for Browns vs. Chiefs in the Divisional round

Inactives report

Chiefs: WR Sammy Watkins, RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire, CB Rashad Fenton, LB Willie Gay, OT Martinas Rankin, DE Tim Ward, DT Khalen Saunders

Browns: WR Marvin Hall, CB Brian Allen, S Jovante Moffatt, OT Alex Taylor, WR Alexander Hollins, TE Kyle Markway, DE Joe Jackson

The Cleveland Browns will travel to face the Kansas City Chiefs in the Divisional round of the 2021 NFL Playoffs. The game is scheduled for Sunday, January 17 with kickoff set for 3:05 p.m. ET and will air on CBS. If the Chiefs win the game, they will host the winner of the Bills-Ravens matchup for the AFC Championship. If the Browns win, they’ll travel to face the winner of the Bills-Ravens matchup for the AFC Championship game.

How the Browns and Chiefs got here

The Chiefs will return from their first-round bye well-rested and ready to take on the Cleveland Browns with homefield advantage. They finished the season at 14-2 to leading the conference, clobbering their AFC West opponents. They didn’t emerge unscathed, however, as rookie RB Clyde Edwards suffered an ankle injury to close out the season, and star WR Tyreek Hill has been nursing a sore hamstring. They closed out the year averaging 6.3 yards per play — tied for the second-highest in the NFL — and the sixth-most points scored with an improved defense under Frank Clark, Tyrann Mathieu and Daniel Sorensen. They’ll be difficult to beat on either side of the ball.

The Cleveland Browns have advanced to the Divisional round for the first time since 1994 following a major upset against their NFC North rivals in Wild Card Weekend. The Browns dominated the Steelers in all phases of the game, on the road at Heinz, no less. Baker Mayfield finished the game with 263 passing yards and three scores — a nice complement to the dominance they’ve established on the ground with RBs Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt. Worth noting, the team has activated DB Denzel Ward from the COVID-19 list, who should return in Sunday’s game to bolster the secondary against one of the league’s best quarterbacks in Patrick Mahomes. They’re 9.5 point underdogs on the road.

How to watch

Date: Sunday, January 17
Time: 3:05 p.m. ET
TV channel: CBS
Live stream: CBS All Access

Current odds for Browns vs. Chiefs

Point spread: Chiefs -9.5
Point total: 55.5
Moneyline: Chiefs -500, Browns +360